Australia vs Sri Lanka 2019: Marcus Stoinis gets dropped from T20I squad as Ben McDermott and Billy Stanlake return to the side

The hosts of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, Australia, have taken several bold decisions by leaving out stars like Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Nathan Coulter-Nile out of the 14-man squad that will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan across six T20Is this year.

Steve Smith, who impressed everyone with his performances in the Ashes, has made a comeback to the T20I team while star opener David Warner too has returned to the setup. Australia's national selector Trevor Horns confirmed that they have selected the squad keeping the 2020 T20 World Cup in mind.

He further added that -

"We have looked to put a squad together that we think can take us through to that tournament. The squad we have selected is quite role-specific and we believe it gives us the flexibility to thrive in all match conditions."

Ben McDermott, Billy Stanlake rewarded for domestic performances

Billy Stanlake will make his return to the T20I team

Top domestic performers like Billy Stanlake, Kane Richardson and Ben McDermott have been included in the squad while the members of the T20I squad which faced India earlier this year - Stoinis, Marsh, D'Arcy Short, Jhye Richardson, Handscomb, Coulter-Nile and Nathan Lyon found no place in the new Australian team.

Stanlake and Richardson have been very impressive with the ball in the domestic one-day cup of Australia. Also, McDermott recently hit an unbeaten ton for Tasmania in the same competition.

Besides, left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff will soon undergo spinal surgery for his lower-back issues.

BREAKING: Australia's T20I squad to take on Sri Lanka and Pakistan:Aaron Finch (c)Ashton AgarAlex CareyPat CumminsGlenn Maxwell Ben McDermottKane RichardsonSteve Smith Billy StanlakeMitchell StarcAshton TurnerAndrew Tye David WarnerAdam Zampa

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 8, 2019

Talking about the batting order of the T20I team, Horns explained that they have gone for top and middle-order specialists. He even hinted that Finch, Warner and Smith will form the top three followed by Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner and Alex Carey in the middle order.

Australia squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Also see – World Test Championship points table